Chapter 61

"Xian, you shouldn't have come," the weary voice of Master Mosido echoed in Xian's mind.

At this moment, Xian was surrounded by a kaleidoscope of elemental mists visible to his naked eye.

He couldn't see where Master Mosido was, and even the dozen or so apprentices walking at the front of the group were becoming increasingly indistinct.

Moreover, an uncomfortable feeling had been nagging at him ever since he entered the energy vortex.

It was a suffocating and oppressive sensation, as if he had left the environment he was accustomed to and entered a strange and unfamiliar space-time.

"Master, where are you?" Xian couldn't help but call out.

Since Xian was in the back half of the apprentice group and had gradually slowed down after hearing his master's voice, the surrounding apprentices hadn't noticed his abnormality.

"I'm at the control and stabilization device of the space-time rift, communicating with you through mental power," Mosido replied.

"Using mental power to communicate is something you'll naturally understand once you become a formal mage. But now, I have more important things to tell you," Mosido quickly added.

Xian didn't dare to waste any words and immediately held his breath to listen.

"We were all too optimistic this time. There aren't that many resource-rich demi-planes or fully formed planes in the Astral Plane that we could just stumble upon."

"According to the images and messages from the apprentices at the front, the other side of the space-time rift is likely a ruined plane."

"The environment there is extremely harsh, with nothing but sandstorms and endless deserts in the transmitted fragments."

"I've been to three other planes before, but their environments were relatively peaceful and suitable for our world's human mages to explore."

"But this ruined plane... even a quasi-mage would find it difficult to survive there for long."

"Based on my advice, we should immediately recall all the apprentices and minimize our losses for this exploration of a plane with little value."

"However, Vice-Dean Martin and Ms. Joan rejected my suggestion and want to send more apprentices to investigate, and even try to activate the spatial coordinate generator to open a passage for the formal black mages to enter."

"I don't know why the two vice-deans are so fixated on this ruined plane. This mission will likely be a death sentence for you," Mosido said solemnly.

"I'm more worried about my senior apprentices. I have no regrets about crossing the space-time rift," Xian replied softly.

Xian's response seemed to bring a hint of comfort and emotion to Mosido.

He then continued, "Follow the predetermined route. When you see a red elemental ripple, turn right, then left... I've left something for you there."

"Your senior apprentices are more powerful and, as advanced apprentices, are closely monitored by the academy. If they can return, their survival rate is relatively high."

"On the contrary, you are weaker and might be abandoned."

"That thing can pull you back in a critical moment, but it requires a lot of energy, and I'm not sure if it will help you."

Following Master Mosido's instructions, Xian eventually found a black handle.

Mosido's concern for Xian was a favor that, in Xian's eyes, was second only to the protection his girlfriend Lina had given him over the years.

Xian silently bowed and then followed the main group of apprentices deeper into the passage.

"You didn't need to leave a backup plan specifically for your disciple. Even if those intermediate apprentices are abandoned, I would have reserved a return slot for your disciple."

"Besides, our exploration of this plane might not fail. If the spatial passage opens smoothly, those young ones will be safe, and we can also benefit from it," a mature female voice suddenly appeared in Mosido's ear after he finished communicating with his disciple.

The speaker was Vice-Dean Joan, who didn't know the specifics of what Mosido and Xian had discussed through mental power, but seeing what Mosido had left for the other, it was clear that this older black mage was worried about his disciple's safety.

Vice-Dean Joan's words made Mosido nod in understanding.

However, after a moment of contemplation, Mosido couldn't help but ask, "Based on the images and information from the apprentices who have already gone through, the plane on the other side of the space-time rift, whether in terms of elemental volatility or environmental characteristics, seems more like a ruined plane."

"Why are we so fixated on exploring this plane?"

"I'm very concerned that the final harvest might not be enough to compensate for our initial investment, even if the plane appears to have a dense concentration of earth elemental particles," Mosido said.

Mosido's question made Joan fall into a long silence.

In the end, Joan didn't directly answer Mosido's question but said, "Don't worry, that plane has something the Dean and I need."

"Even if the plane itself has little value, the promised reward will still be paid in full."

With that, Joan's presence vanished as if she had never been there.

Only Mosido remained, his brows still furrowed.

A moment later, Mosido suddenly opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "She said the Dean? Not Vice-Dean Martin?"

...

The vortex passage deep within the magic altar was not long.

However, due to the numerous dangers and severed limbs within the passage, the intermediate apprentices, including Xian, moved very slowly.

What constituted danger?

Another scream of agony echoed from ahead. When Xian slowly approached, he saw an intermediate apprentice whose arm had been severed by an invisible force.

The severed arm was still stuck in a layer of elemental mist.

This was the danger of the space-time rift. Even the tiny cracks around its edges were far beyond the capabilities of these apprentices, who had not yet reached the level of formal mages.

This was the third unfortunate apprentice among the fifty intermediate magic apprentices to be injured by the space-time rift.

He was relatively lucky; the first one had been decapitated and died instantly.

The second one had been cut in half at the waist and was nearly dead.

The injuries and deaths of three intermediate apprentices made Xian and the others move even more slowly.

It was precisely because they had slowed down and had the path cleared by hundreds of entry-level apprentices that they suffered no further losses until they reached the main entrance of the space-time rift.